Supporting arrangement



Feb. 8, 1966 E. VON WEDEL SUPPORTING ARRANGEMENT Filed April 4, 1963 r A M Jnvenfar: [H152 U011 ZA/eda/ /3Y/\///c/1AE L S. STRIKER ATTORNEY United States Patent The present invention relates to supporting arrangements in general, and more particularly to an arrangement which may serve as a fluidtight or dustproof device to hold a glass pane or a similar panel-like structure in its frame.

It is an important object of the invention to provide a very simple and inexpensive supporting arrangement .which may be assembled or dismantled by semiskilled or unskilled persons, which may provide a satisfactory sup- "port for comparatively thick or for rather thin panels and like supported structures, which provides a very satisfac- -tory dustproof or even iiuidtight support and seal for a window pane or the like, and which may be readily mounted on many existing window frames, door frames, cabinets and similar carriers without necessitating any or by necessitating only minimal alterations in the construction and design of such carriers.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sup- I porting. arrangement of the just outlined characteristics which may be made entirely or in part of corrosionresistant material. so that it can be put to long-lasting use in all. climates.

A further object of the invention is to provide a supporting arrangement of the above outlined characteristics at least some parts of which may be fully concealed from .view when the arrangement is put to actual use so that it" does not detract from the eye-pleasing appearance of the structure in which the arrangement is installed.

A concomitant object of my invention is to provide a supporting arrangement which embodies the aboveoutlined advantages and which may be rapidly assembled or taken apart without necessitating any special tools for such work and which, combined with one or more similar arrangements, may safely hold in position not only small but :also very large panels of vitreous material without any serious danger that the panel would fall out of its frame in response to shocks or vibrations such as develop in normal use.

Still another object of the instant invention is to provide a supporting arrangement wherein such parts which are subjected to greater wear and tear may be readily detached from the remaining parts for the purpose of being replaced by new parts so that the useful life of the entire arrangement is not terminated just because one of its component parts is damaged or destroyed.

With the above objects in view, one feature of my invention resides in the provision of a supporting arrangement which includes a carrier, such as a window frame or :a door frame which defines an opening for reception of a glass pane or another panel-like supported structure, a holder which may be detachably or permanently connected with an edge face of the carrier and which comprises a pair of abutment members defining between themselves a space arranged to receive a marginal portion of a panel so that each of these members abuts against a different side of the panel, and preferably at least one retaining element in the form of a batten or cleat which may be detachably fixed to the holder to conceal a marginal portion of the panel, At least one of the abutment members consists of elastically deformable material so as to provide a yieldable cushion Patented Feb. 8, 1966 "ice for the respective side of the panel, and such abutment members may be integral with, detachably fixed to or even spaced from the remainder of the holder, i.e., the remainder of the holder may be rigid, flexible or in part rigid and in part elastic.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic of the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The supporting arrangement itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional features and advantages thereof, will be best understood from thefollowing detailed description of certain specific embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a developed perspective view of a supporting arrangement which embodies one form of my'invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal section as seen in the direction of arrows from the line IIII of FIG. 1, showing the manner in which one abutment member may be detachably secured to the holder and the manner in which the base plate of the holder may be detachably fixed to a frame-like carrier;

FIG. 3'is a transverse vertical section through afully assembled supporting arrangement of modified construction which comprises a pair of retaining elements in the form of cleats and whose holder comprises two detachable abutment members;

FIG. 4 is a transverse vertical section through another fully assembled supporting arrangement whose holder comprises two independent mirror symmetrical sections; and

FIG. 5 is :a transverse vertical section through a fourth supporting arrangement whose holder comprises an elastically deformable abutment member and a rigid abutment member forming a fixed stop on the carrier.

Referring now in greater detail to the illustrated embodiments, and first to FIG. 1, there is shown a supporting arrangement which comprises a carrier 2 here shown as a window or door frame, an elastic holder 1 whose base plate 4 is formed with at least one centrally located bore 3a adaptedto receive a screw'3 or a similar fastening device (see FIG. 2) by means of which the base plate may be detachably fixed to the edge face 2 of the carrier 2, a first abutment member here shown as comprising. two aligned lips 5, 6 which are integral with the base plate 4 and which may engage one side of a panel, such as a window pane 7, a plate made of plywood or' the. like, and a second abutment member 8 which may be detachably fixed to the base plate 4 so that it can engage the other side of the panel 7. The configurationof the bore 3a is preferably such that the head of the screw 3 need not extend beyond the exposed surface of the base 'plate 4 in order to prevent direct contact between the matallic material of the screw and the material of the panel 7,

particularly if this panel is made of vitreous material.

If desired, a thin web of flexible material may form a connection between the lips 5, 6.

The manner in' which the ledge 17 of the abut-ment member 8 may be detachably secured to the base plate 4' is shown in FIG. 2. Thus, the base plate is formed with a pair of aligned cutouts 11, 12 which extend in wardly from the opposite end faces thereof and. which de fine shoulders 11a, 12a adapted to be engaged by two projections or noses 13, 14 respectively provided on a pair of spaced legs 9, 10 which may be fitted into the cutouts 11, 12 and which are integral with the ledge 17. The arrangement is such that the noses 13, 14 preferably engage the shoulders 11a, 12a by snap action, i.e., the member 8 and/ or the base plate 4 is slightly deformed at the time the legs 9, 10 are forced into the respective cutouts.

When the supporting arrangement of FIGS. 1 and 2 two spaced portions of the holder 1.

is assembled, the'base plate 4 is fixed to the carrier 2 bythe screw 3 and the panel 7 is placed against the righthand sides of the aligned lips 5, 6, as viewed in FIG. 1. In the next step, the operator forces the legs 9, through the cutouts 11, 12 so that the member 8 abuts against the other side of the panel 7 and holds this panel in position. The edge face of the panel 7 may but need not come to rest on the exposed surface of the base plate 4. It goes without saying that, and particularly if the abutment members 8 and 5, 6 are made of readily deformable elastic material, the member 8, too, may be integral with the base plate so that the outer portions of the members 8 and 5, 6 must be forced apart at the time the panel 7 is introduced into the space which the abutment members define therebetween.

On the other hand, it is equally possible to provide the holder with two detachable abutment members in a manner as shown in FIG. 3. In this embodiment of my invention, the base plate 104 of the modified holder 161 may consist of rigid synthetic plastic or metallic material and may be detachably connected with a pair of elastic abutment members 108 in the same manner as shown in FIG. 2, i.e., each .of these members may be provided with one or more projections which engage and which form coupling means with suitable shoulders or the like on the base plate. The base plate 104 is detachably secured to the carrier 2 by means of one or more fastening screws 103. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the holder 101 further comprises means for detachably holding a pair of retaining elements herevshown as specially con structed battens 116, also called cleats, which are of identical construction and which are arranged in mirror symmetry with reference to the plane of the panel 7. This panel again assumes the form of a glass pane in the open-,

ing bounded by the edge face 2 of a window frame (carrier 2), of a door frame or the like. As shown in FIG. 3, as well as in FIG. 1, the base plate comprises two spaced parallel ribs 115 which are parallel with the longitudinal extensions of the abutment members 8 and 5, 6 or 108 and which are adjacent to the longitudinal edge portions and face downwardly from the respective base plate, i.e., toward the edge face 2] of the carrier 2. These ribs 115 are spaced from the edge face 2 so that they define with the carrier a pair of narrow gaps adapted to permit entry of similar but oppositely directed ribs 116 on the retaining elements 116 so that these elements may be held by snap action to assume positions shown in FIG. 3 and to bear directly against the respective marginal portions of the panel 7 or to support suitable sealing strips 121 made of rubber or elastic plastic. As shown in FIG. 3, each retaining element may be provided with a bracket-like extension 116a which engages the adjacent,

side face 2s'of the carrier 2 and with a bifurcated upper portion defining a space 120 for a beaded portion 121a of the respective sealing strip. One leg 119 of each bifurcated portion may engage the exposed surface of the adjacent abutment member to hold such abutment member in clamped position (see FIG. 3). Alternatively, and as shown in FIG. 1, the lips 5, 6 may be provided with elastically deformable beaded flaps 18 which may be engaged by the arm 119 of the respective retaining element so that such retaining element actually engages Additional flaps 18 are provided on the ledge 17 of the abutment member 8, and the abutment members 108 may comprise similar flaps if desired. Attention is further directed to the feature that the free portions of the abutment members 8 and 5,6 or 108 preferably converge toward each other, i.e., in a direction away from the edge face 2f of the carrier 2 and toward the respective sides of the panel 7 so as to sealingly engage the panel and to remain in at least slightly deformed condition when the supporting arrangement is fully assembled. The same applies for the sealing strips 121 which form a substantially V-shaped assembly and which are deformed as a result of direct engagement with the respective sides of the panel to prevent penetration of dust, moisture and other foreign matter into the interior of the supporting arrangement.

Referring again to FIG. 1, it will be noted that the flaps 18 and the left-hand rib together form a bifurcated component of the holder 1, the flap 18 of which may be received between two spaced portions ofa cleat, such as the portions 116', 119 of a cleat 116. The other bifurcated component of the holder 1 comprises the flaps 18' and the other rib 115, and this component may be clamped between the portions 116', 11 of the other cleat 116 if such cleats are used in the supporting arrangement of FIG. 1. Owing to the fact that the flaps 18,18 and the ribs 115 are flexible, the holder is deformed by and holds the cleats 116 in requisite position while permitting detachment of such cleats if it should become necessary to replace a damaged panel 7 or to gain access to the marginal portion 7a of the panel for the purposes of cleaning.

FIG. 4 illustrates a further supporting arrangement wherein the holder 201 comprises two independent sections 222 which. are mirror symmetrical with reference to the plane of the panel, not shown. Such panel may be inserted into thespace 222a between the elastically deformable abutment members 223 of thetwo sections whereby the abutment members are deformed to move their inner sides to the positions indicated by broken lines.

In this embodiment of my invention, the base plates 204 rib 216' which is detachably held by the. rib 215 of the respective section 222, and a leg 219 which. engages an elastically deformable flap 218 of the respective section.

'The spaces 220 may receive the beaded portions of suitable sealing strips (not shown in FIG. 4) which may resemble the sealing strips 121 of FIG. 3.

If desired, a central portion of each of the'abutment members 223 may be thinner than the remainder thereof so as to add to the flexibility of these members. For example, the broken lines shown in FIG. 4 may indicate the depth of recesses in the central portions of the members 223. The greater the flexibility of the sections 222, the greater is the versatility of the supporting arrangement which is then capable of being used in connection with very thick or with comparatively thin panels. If the members 223 are provided with such recesses, each thereof resembles the member 5, 601 FIG. 1 with a web between the two lips.

Referring finally to FIGS, there is shown a greatly simplified supporting arrangement whose holder 3M comprises a single section 222 including a base plate 204 and a flexible abutment member 223 which cooperates with a rigid abutment member here shown as a stop or backrest 302a forming. part of a modified carrier 302. Of course, the stop 362a may be detachably secured to the carrier 302' or to the base plate 204- of the section 222. The construction of the single cleat 316 is similar to that of a cleat 116. The section 222 is identical with either one of the sections shown in FIG. 4. In this embodiment of my'invention, a window pane or a similar supported structure may be held in position in the space 322a between the abutment member 223 of the section 222 and the rigid stop 302a, i.e.,-one of the abutment members may be rigid and the other thereof may be elastic. The section 222 of FIG. 5 may be rigidly or detachably secured to the carrier 302. The cleat 316 comprises a rib 316 which engages the rib 215 of the base plate 204.

The flexibility of the abutment members 5, 6, 8, 108, 223 is preferably such that the respective supporting arrangement may be utilized to hold panels of different thicknesses. Thus, and referring for example to FIG. 5, the space 322a between the rigid abutment member or stop 302a and the flexible abutment member 223 may accommodate panels of different thicknesses. If the panel to be supported by the arrangement of FIG. 5 is comparatively thick, the abutment member 223 will undergo substantial deformation and will exert a greater force upon the respective side of the panel to hold it in requisite position. In the arrangement of FIG. 5, the fixed abutment member 302a actually forms a component part of the holder 301 even though it is not directly connected with the base plate 204.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic and specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. An arrangement for supporting window panes and other types of panels, comprising a carrier; a holder including a base plate fixed to said carrier and a pair of spaced abutment members arranged to engage the opposite sides of a panel, at least one of said abutment members consisting of elastically deformable material, and coupling means provided on at least one of said abutment members and on said base plate for detachably securing said one abutment member to the base plate, said coupling means comprising a pair of spaced cutouts provided in said base plate and defining a pair of spaced shoulders facing said carrier, and a pair of projections provided on said one abutment member and extending into said cutouts, each of said projections having a nose engaging the respective shoulder to hold said one abutment member against longitudinal movement and against movement in a direction away from said base plate.

2. An arrangement for supporting window panes and other types of panels, comprising a carrier having a substantially plano edge face; a holder fixed to said carrier and comprising a pair of spaced abutment members extending in a direction away from said edge face and defining between themselves a space adapted to receive a marginal portion of a panel so that the abutment members engage the opposite sides of such panel, at least one of said abutment members consisting of elastically deformable material; coupling means for coupling at least one of said abutment members to said holder and including cooperating male and female coupling members respectively integral with said one abutment member and said holder for securing one to the other against longitudinal movement and against movement away from each other; at least one elongated retaining element arranged to extend along said edge face and along one side of a panel which is received between said abutment members; and connecting means comprising two spaced portions provided on said retaining element, and a bifurcated component including at least one elastic flap provided on said holder and spaced from said edge face, one portion of said connecting means being inserted intermediate said elastic flap and said edge face and engaging said elastic flap for detachably connecting the retaining element with the holder.

3. An arrangement for supporting window panes and other types of panels, comprising a carrier; a holder including a base plate fixed to said carrier; and first and second spaced abutment members arranged to engage the opposite side-s of a panel, and coupling means detachably securing at least one of said abutment members to said base plate, said coupling means including cooperating male and female coupling members respectively provided on said one abutment member and said base base plate integrally therewith for holding said one abutment member against longitudinal movement and against movement in a direction away from said base plate.

4. An arrangement as defined in claim 3 wherein at least one of said coupling members consists of elastically deformable material, and wherein said coupling members engage each other with a snap action.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,892,104 12/1932 Hunter 52-397 2,175,909 10/1939 Nelson 52212 2,214,222 9/1940 Chafie 5Z172 2,761,535 9/1956 Englehart 52400 2,934,800 5/1960 Hasbrouck et al. 52.397 2,933,779 4/1960 Delaroche 52302 3,068,617 12/1962 Borski 52208 3,123,869 3/1964 May 52397 3,151,715 10/1964 Hagerty et al. 52127 FOREIGN PATENTS 547,350 5/1956 Belgium. 1,131,806 2/1957 France. 1,258,489 3/1961 France.

851,448 10/ 1953 Germany. 1,074,846 2/ 1960 Germany.

512,383 9/1939 Great Britain.

703,873 2/ 1954 Great Britain.

CHARLES E. OCONNELL, Primary Examiner.

REINALDO P. MACHADO, HARRISON R. MOSE- LEY, Examiners.

W. E. HEATON, Assistant Examiner. 

3. AN ARRANGEMENT FOR SUPPORTING WINDOW PANES AND OTHER TYPES OF PANELS, COMPRISING A CARRIER; A HOLDER INCLUDING A BASE PLATE FIXED TO SAID CARRIER; AND FIRST AND SECOND SPACED ABUTMENT MEMBERS ARRANGED TO ENGAGE THE OPPOSITE SIDES OF A PANEL, AND COUPLING MEANS DETACHABLY SECURING AT LEAST ONE OF SAID ABUTMENT MEMBERS TO SAID BASE PLATE, SAID COUPLING MEANS INCLUDING COOPERATING MALE AND FEMALE COUPLING MEMBERS RESPECTIVELY PROVIDED ON SAID ONE ABUTMENT MEMBER AND SAID BASE 